1910.178(c)(2)(iv): OSHA rule
Key takeaways
- 1910.178(c)(2)(iv) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart N).
- OSHA cited it 8 times in the last 3 years, in 8 inspections, with $34,737 in current penalties.
- Related part: 1910.178(c)(2) (29 citations).
- Free 5-minute toolbox talk for your crew below.
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In this article
What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.178(c)(2)(iv) is one requirement inside 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910, Subpart N). The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
(iv) Power-operated industrial trucks designated as DY, EE, or EX may be used in locations where volatile flammable liquids or flammable gases are handled, processed or used, but in which the hazardous liquids, vapors or gases will normally be confined within closed containers or closed systems from which they can escape only in case of accidental rupture or breakdown of such containers or systems, or in the case of abnormal operation of equipment; also in locations in which hazardous concentrations of gases or vapors are normally prevented by positive mechanical ventilation but which might become hazardous through failure or abnormal operation of the ventilating equipment; or in locations which are adjacent to Class I, Division 1 locations, and to which hazardous concentrations of gases or vapors might occasionally be communicated unless such communication is prevented by adequate positive-pressure ventilation from a source of clear air, and effective safeguards against ventilation failure are provided. 8 citations
| Classes | Unclassified | Class I locations | Class II locations | Class III locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description of classes | Locations not possessing atmospheres as described in other columns | Locations in which flammable gases or vapors are, or may be, present in the air in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitible mixtures | Locations which are hazardous because of the presence of combustible dust | Locations where easily ignitible fibers or flyings are present but not likely to be in suspension in quantities sufficient to produce ignitible mixtures. |
| Groups in classes | None | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | None |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examples of locations or atmospheres in classes and groups | Piers and wharves inside and outside general storage, general industrial or commercial properties | Acetylene | Hydrogen | Ethyl ether | Gasoline Naphtha Alcohols Acetone Lacquer solvent Benzene |
Metal dust | Carbon black coal dust, coke dust | Grain dust, flour dust, starch dust, organic dust | Baled waste, cocoa fiber, cotton, excelsior, hemp, istle, jute, kapok, oakum, sisal, Spanish moss, synthetic fibers, tow. |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisions (nature of hazardous conditions) | None | Above condition exists continuously, intermittently, or periodically under normal operating conditions | Above condition may occur accidentally as due to a puncture of a storage drum | Explosive mixture may be present under normal operating conditions, or where failure of equipment may cause the condition to exist simultaneously with arcing or sparking of electrical equipment, or where dusts of an electrically conducting nature may be present | Explosive mixture not normally present, but where deposits of dust may cause heat rise in electrical equipment, or where such deposits may be ignited by arcs or sparks from electrical equipment | Locations in which easily ignitible fibers or materials producing combustible flyings are handled, manufactured, or used | Locations in which easily ignitible fibers are stored or handled (except in the process of manufacture). |
| Authorized uses of trucks by types in groups of classes and divisions | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groups in classes | None | A | B | C | D | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | E | F | G | None | None |
| Type of truck authorized: | |||||||||||||||||
| Diesel: | |||||||||||||||||
| Type D | D** | ||||||||||||||||
| Type DS | DS | DS | DS | ||||||||||||||
| Type DY | DY | DY | DY | DY | |||||||||||||
| Electric: | |||||||||||||||||
| Type E | E** | E | |||||||||||||||
| Type ES | ES | ES | ES | ||||||||||||||
| Type EE | EE | EE | EE | EE | |||||||||||||
| Type EX | EX | EX | EX | EX | EX | EX | EX | ||||||||||
| Gasoline: | |||||||||||||||||
| Type G | G** | ||||||||||||||||
| Type GS | GS | GS | GS | ||||||||||||||
| LP-Gas: | |||||||||||||||||
| Type LP | LP** | ||||||||||||||||
| Type LPS | LPS | LPS | LPS | ||||||||||||||
| Paragraph Ref. in No. 505 | 210.211 | 201 (a) |
203 (a) |
209 (a) |
204 (a), (b) |
202 (a) |
205 (a) |
209 (a) |
206 (a), (b) |
207(a) | 208 (a) | ||||||
| **Trucks conforming to these types may also be used—see subdivision (c)(2)(x) and (c)(2)(xii) of this section. | |||||||||||||||||
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.178.
Export the list: 8 inspections cited 1910.178(c)(2)(iv) in the last 3 years, with employer, location, penalty and date.
Purple Belt, $59/moWhere and how often it was cited
Free toolbox talk
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OSHA interpretation letters
None exist. OSHA has not published a letter of interpretation for 1910.178(c)(2)(iv).
Related parts of this rule
- 1910.178(c)(2) 29 citations
- 1910.178(c) Designated locations 29 citations
- 1910.178(c)(2)(iii) 2 citations
- 1910.178(c)(2)(ii)
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About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.178 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly; data as of 2026-11-06
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.